Microsoft Teams Introduces Live Chat Widget for SMBs and SMS Messaging
Microsoft Teams is set to enhance its offerings for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by introducing a new live chat widget, included in all Microsoft 365 for Business plans. This feature provides a direct line of communication for businesses to engage with their customers through their websites, all from within Teams.
Key features of the live chat widget include:
- Seamless Setup: Businesses can easily configure the widget via the Microsoft Teams Admin App, promising an “out-of-the-box” experience.
- Comprehensive Customer Interaction: Users will be able to collect visitor contact information, assign cases, and manage conversations directly from Teams Chat.
- Enhanced Team Collaboration: Employees can post customer requests and transcripts in the Teams channel, facilitating real-time support and escalations.
- Managerial Insights: Managers can view a dashboard of all customer queries over time, enhancing oversight and decision-making.
The widget is available for businesses subscribed to Microsoft Business Basic, Standard, and Premium plans. However, it is not accessible to those on Enterprise plans, as the solution is designed to bolster SMB customer service.
The rollout will commence in mid-January in the US and expand globally by March 2025.
Microsoft also announced a couple other updates for Teams. Microsoft continues to build upon its vision of a lightweight contact center by integrating live chat into Teams. While Microsoft offers Dynamics 365 Contact Center for enterprises, SMBs benefit from a simpler solution that leverages the familiarity of Teams.
Previously, Microsoft introduced the Queues App for Teams, enabling customer service teams to manage interactions from the UCaaS platform at $10 per user per month. With the addition of live chat, Teams emerges as a viable “Contact Center Lite” for SMBs, providing a centralized platform for customer communication without extensive training requirements.
In addition to live chat, Microsoft will soon introduce SMS messaging within Teams. This feature allows users to send and receive texts natively in their Teams client, enhancing communication flexibility. Initially, this capability will be available to Microsoft Teams Phone for Calling Plan users in the US and Canada by the end of February 2025, with plans for a future global rollout.
These advancements demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to providing SMBs with the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service and streamline communication. Keep up the excellent work Microsoft. Microsoft Teams is a fantastic collaboration tool and continues to just get better and better.
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